This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to Alfred O. Tate's role as Edison's private secretary, along with occasional items pertaining to Tate's private life. Letters addressed to Tate in his capacity as Edison's secretary or representative that do not fall under the main subject categories are generally filed in this folder. Most of the material deals with routine business and legal matters. Letters addressed to Tate that deal with a specific subject or the business of a particular company can be found in their appropriate subject folders.

Less than 10 percent of the documents have been selected. The following categories of documents have not been selected: routine correspondence relating to accounts, equipment orders, and stock transfers; meeting announcements; bills and receipts; letters of transmittal and acknowledgement; items relating to Tate's private affairs, such as his membership in various clubs and societies.

Also not selected is a set of transcribed cablegram messages pertaining to the domestic and foreign phonograph business. The cablegrams were originally exchanged in coded form among Edison, Tate, and Samuel Insull. The messages were subsequently decoded and transcribed by Edison's staff. Photocopies of these transcribed messages can be found in D-89-59 (Phonograph - Edison's Phonograph Co.), D-89-61 (Phonograph - Foreign - Mexico), and D-89-64 (Phonograph - Talking Doll).